Ore-bin-door-operating mechanism.



CLAPPER.

ORE BIN DOOR QPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. I915.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

MUM.

L. CLAPPER.

ORE BIN DOOR OPERATING MECHANSM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 19:5. 1 .14;

5 .III

l atemed Dec. 21

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- LELAND GLAPPER, OF TWO HARBORS, MINNESOTA.

ORE-BIN-DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISM.

memos Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 15115.

Application filed May 20, 1915. Serial No. 29,292.

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it'known that I, LELAND CLAPPER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Two Harbors, in the county of Lake and State of Minnesota, have invented' certain new and useful Improvements in Ore-Bin Door-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to door operating mechanism for binsor containers and has particular reference to a novel apparatus which may be utilized asa safety feature in ore handling operations.

The object of myinventionis to provide means whereby ore-bin doors and the operating mechanism thereof shall be controlled from the deck of an ore dock. As docks are at present constructed, the vertical height from the deck where the cars are unloaded to the opening in the bin, out of which the ,ore discharges, is approximately 85 ft. At

trolled adjacent to the door.

present the operating mechanism is con- For reasons of safety to the operator, and for operating economies, it is very desirable that the doors should be operated from the deck of the dock.

In many of the doors at present in use on ore-bins, provision is made for a compound swinging and vertical sliding movement, the door being held against swinging movement by means of a strut and a latch. The first operation is that. of unlatching the door and permitting it to swing, and, the second operation that of bodily lifting the door. It frequently becomes necessary to operate the door and of flowing ore. Toaccomplish this it is important that when. the door is bodily lowered the latch or dog he in proper positlon, otherwise the stream of ore will not be interrupted.

shut off the stream that shown in Fig. 1; Fig.3 is an enlarged view of the drums for actuating the cables; Fig. l 1s a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4, and F 1g. 5 is a detailed elevation of means for holding the dogs which control the drums.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that an ore-bin may consist of a front wall 10 and an inclined bottom wall 11, the front wall having an opening 12 therein in ,which a chute 13 is placed. A door 14 is mounted over the opening 12, this door being adapted for vertlcal sliding movement between ,the guides 15 and being held against swinging movement by the strut 16, the end of which travels between the guides 17 and is held in operative position by the pivoted latch 18. The, arm 19 controls the latch and to this arm a cable 20 is connected. This cable extends upwardly to the deck 20 of the dock and engages a drum 21. The cable passes around the drum and returns, passing 'around an idler sheave 22 secured to the chute 13.

Attached to the door 14 is a cable 23, which passes upwardly and engages a drum 24. in proximity to the drum 21. A short cable 23 connects cables 20 and 23 intermediate the ends thereof. The drums 21, 24 are mounted on a shaft 25,

which has a crank 25 keyed thereon; The

shaft 25 is adapted for longitudinal movement-and a pin 26 thereon is adapted t alternately. engage with notches 27, 28 in the drums 21, 24.. When the drums are out of engagement with the shaftand are to be held against movement, the dogs 29, 30 .engage the notches in the peripheries of the drums.

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming the parts in the position of Figs. land 2, when the crank '25 is turned clock-' wise, drum 21 is rotated and the latch 18 is moved to an inoperative position; at the same time short.cable 23 assumes a po' sition more nearly taut, but not entirely taut. Latch 18 being now inoperative, the door 14: swings outwardly under the weight of ore pressing thereagainst. After the door has swung outwardly the shaft 25 is moved longitudinally and the drum 24 is engaged and rotated, WllGIClilJOIlthE' door is lifted out of the path of the ore. This moves strut 16 to a position above the latch 18. Just prior to'the point of thecompletie';

dog and door,

releasing said dog,

elevation of the door the short cable 23 becomes taut and pulls upon cable 20, thus causing latch 18 to be restored to its original position. When the door is lowered, short cable 23 is inoperative and simply hangsin 'a loop as shown, While latch 18 remains in position to engage the outer end of strut 16. All this may be accomplished from the attendant danger ofoperations from the platform along the front of the bin.

The important features of my invention are the operating of the door from the deck of the dock and the connection between the door raising device and the locking device, so as to insure the locking device being in place when the door is lovere'cl.

It Will be understood that my device is capable of modifications and such modifications as are Within the scope of my claims I consider as coming within the'spirit of my invention. i

I claim:

1. Inmechanism of the class described, the combination of a bin having a swinging and sliding door, a deck above said bin, a dog for holding said door against swinging movement, and actuating means for said said means being mounted on and operable from said deck, and means for lifting said door and Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner the deck of" the dock Without simultaneously restoring said dog to door locking position, substantially as described. 2. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a bin having a swinging and sliding door, a deck above said bin, a dog for holding said door against swinging movement, and actuating means for said dog and door, said means being operable from said deck, and including means for releasing said dog and lifting said door, and means operable by said door-lifting mechanism for restoring said dog to door-holding position, substantially as described. 3. In mechanism the combination of a bin and sliding door, a deck above said bin, a dog for holding said door against swinging movement, a pair of drums on said deck,

having a swinging means'for alternately and independently r0- tating said drums, cablesconnecting said drums to said dog and said door, and means operable during the door-raising operation for simultaneously restoring the dog to door-holding position, substantially as described.

Signed at Duluth, Minn, this 17thday of May, 1915.

- LELAND OLAPPER.

Witnesses:

A. M. Gow,

JEROME SHANNON.

of Patciits,

Washington, D. G.

of the class described, I 

